L ike some of the movies to be honored during the Oscars this Sunday, many events this week feature a good twist—like an academic treatment of beer; a dinner in a rather unusual dining room; a book series presented via the stage; and an art showing under black lights.

Monday, February 22
Mondays at BAR (212 Crown St, New Haven), where big shiny vats brew tasty house beers, occasionally feature knowledgeable talks on special topics. But they’re rarely as location-relevant as tonight’s, “The Science of Beer,” led by “a geneticist with 9 years of brewing experience, a neuroscientist who studies the effect of alcohol on the brain and a historian of science who will discuss changing attitudes towards alcohol throughout history.” Organized by the Yale Science Diplomats, whose mission is to “educate the public on science issues that affect them,” the free event starts at 7 p.m. and includes giveaways ranging from BAR gift cards to a home-brew kit.

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Tuesday, February 23
Artspace (50 Orange St, New Haven; 203-772-2709) hosts a free and open-to-the-public book club event tonight featuring author/illustrator A. K. Summers, whose graphical memoir Pregnant Butch, drawn from her experiences being pregnant as a butch lesbian, is the topic of conversation. Helping that conversation along is Summers herself, who’s also set to do a spot of reading from the work. 6 p.m.

Wednesday, February 24
Gateway Community College has a serious and well-appointed culinary arts track, with professional-grade cooking kitchens and an impressive demo/dining room. Tonight the program gets to flex its muscles during the 2016 kickoff to its C.O.O.K. (“Chefs of Our Kitchen”) series, featuring guest chef Arturo Franco Camacho of local waterside hotspot Shell and Bones. A $65 ticket price includes “a pre-event reception and meet-and-greet with the featured guest chef; a cooking demonstration by the chef; a three-course meal prepared by Gateway culinary students under the chef’s direction; free parking; and an exciting take-away gift to remember your evening!” 6 p.m. 20 Church Street, New Haven. (203) 285-2617.

Thursday, February 25
It’s movie night at Yale, with two free screenings. At 6:30, Luce Hall (34 Hillhouse Ave, New Haven) is screening Garbage Dreams (2009), a documentary about “three teenage boys born into the trash trade and growing up in the world’s largest garbage village, on the outskirts of Cairo.” At 7 p.m., the Whitney Humanities Center (53 Wall St, New Haven) is screening Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo (1961), a feature about a wandering samurai who finds action and intrigue in a small Japanese village. A common selection on “best ever” lists, it turns out Yojimbo was the basis for Sergio Leone’s classic Spaghetti Western A Fistful of Dollars (1964), a precursor to the even more classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966).

Friday, February 26
Paier College of Art (20 Gotham Ave, Bldg 10, Hamden; 203-287-3031) is celebrating its latest biannual faculty art show tonight from 7 to 10. A great variety of works—including, if the flyer is any indication, an amazingly lifelike representation of a beech tree by realist painter John Falato—will be on view, with refreshments to enjoy mid-browse.

Saturday, February 27
This one’s for the kids, or the kids at heart. At 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., the Shubert Theater (247 College St, New Haven; 203-562-5666) stages The Berenstain Bears LIVE! in Family Matters, the Musical. Based on the popular children’s book series, which has been publishing for more than 50 years now, it has singing, dancing and a plot line readers of the books will find reassuringly familiar. $15-25.

Over at Silk Road Art Gallery (83 Audubon St, New Haven; 203-772-8928), The Third Reconstruction takes things to a considerably headier place. Just opened today, and with a free reception from 4 to 6 p.m., the exhibit features work by abstract painter Karen Dow and figurative painter Luyi Xu. Though working from two very different directions, they share the same goal, organizers say: to achieve “the transcendence of shape and color to a plane of human emotion.”

From 6 to 9 p.m. at upstart art studio/gallery No Pop (130 Park St, 2nd Fl, New Haven; 203-824-6078), “strange light sources set interdisciplinary practices aglow in the dead of winter.” Calling the occasion “Cave-in,” organizers have pulled together work by 20 local artists, including bonafide installation pieces. They’ve also installed black lights, which must comprise some of the “strange light sources” mentioned earlier. As for attire, creativity is a good thing: “costumes and glow accessories are encouraged,” the hosts say. Free.

Sunday, February 28
The 88th Academy Awards take place tonight, and you can experience the glitz, glam and golden statues from inside the Regal Beagle (418 State St, New Haven; 203-752-9899), where the filmmakers/cinephiles of the local 48 Hour Film Project group are hosting a watching party. Replete with “a big screen, popcorn, drink and food specials” and a ballot competition—the best predictor of the night’s winners gets a prize of their own—the fun starts at 6 p.m. Free.

About Dan Mims

Dan has worked for a couple of major media companies, but he likes Daily Nutmeg best. As DN’s editor, he writes, photographs, edits and otherwise shepherds ideas into fully realized feature stories, helped very much by a small team of dedicated contributors.